Rail-joint.



R. T. BAGBY.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 9. 1915.

' 1 1 8 1 ,720. Patented May 2, 1916.

9 y j 7 a 1 Ali/1552855 7? 3 INVENTOR 6" 4 7. a Z {Z @175 A TTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT TRAMMELL BAGBY, OF MASCOT, TENNESSEE.

RAIL-JOINT.

Application filed November 9, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT T. BAGBY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Mascot, in the county of Knox and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to rail joints wherein I utilize the roller principle of load trans mission, whereby the track is made continuous, for shear and bending, without destroying free movement of the ends of the rails with variations in temperature, thereby eliminating low joints, and high centers, practically eliminating joint hammer or the noise commonly heard when wheels are crossing joints, reducing cost of track maintenance and rolling stock maintenance, producing an easier riding track, and avoiding the possibility of nuts working loose.

My invention is fully described in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawings form a part, in which like characters refer to like parts in each of the views and in which Figure 1 is an outside view of my rail joint; Fig. 2 is an enlarged section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged view similar to Fig. 1, with the angle bar broken away to show my load carrying rollers.

In the drawings I have shown the contiguous ends of two conventional railway rails 5 and 6 provided with my improved joint consisting of an outer angle bar 7, an inner angle bar 8, connecting rivets 9, load bearing rollers 10 and 11. and connecting rivets 12, the holes 13 for the rivets 9 being elongated to permit expansion and contraction of the rails.

The angle bar 7 comprises a vertical member 14: extended upwardly to the approximate height of the tread of the rail and provided with two inwardly directed flanges 15 and 16 and with a bottom member 17 extended entirely across the under side of the rail, these flanges constituting highly essential features in the joint.

The angle bar 8 comprises a vertical member 18 provided with two inwardly directed flanges 19 and 20 of the same character as the flanges 15 and 16, the member 18 being of the approximate height of the web only Specification of Letters Patent.

Serial No. 60,620.

of the rail and having a foot 21 which extends downwardly over the edge of the rail.

The rivets 9 are drilled in their ends on their axes, as shown at 22, Fig. 3, by dotted lines, whereby the ends of said rivets may be expanded to lock the same permanently in place, and I prefer to make the rivet holes 13 in the angle bar 7 outwardly flared to accommodate the same to the expanded rivets.

The rollers 10 and 11 are alike and are given different reference characters merely because of their different arrangement when assembled in the joint, each roller consisting of high carbon steel forging of substantial bar form with a hole 23 therethrough flared from the center outwardly in both directions enabling the roller to be rocked on a rod passed therethrough, this hole being, in the form illustrated, nearer one end of the roller than the other, and the roller is tapered toward each end from the position of the hole, on its four faces or sides. For ease of assembling the rollers in a track joint I connect a desired number of the rollers by means of a rivet 12, but this is the only func-' tion of said rivet, and I may thus group the rollers according to the locations of the angle bar rivets 9, it being desirable that as many rollers as possible be used in each group.

As shown the longer arms or ends of the rollers in each group are alternately directed upwardly and downwardly, the rollers 10 having their longer ends bearing under the tread of the rail and their shorter ends bearing upon the respective flanges 16 and 20 of the bars 7 and 8, whereas the rollers 11 have their longer arms or ends bearing on the base flange of the rail and their shorter arms bearing under the respective flanges 15 and 19 of said bars.

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated by dotted lines the alternative positions of the rollers when the rails expand or contract because of changes in temperature, the mean positions of the rollers being shown in full lines, and it will be seen that vertical movement of a rail in my joint is impossible when the rollers are in place and, therefore, the end of one rail must remain on a level with the adjacent end of another rail, while permitting entire freedom of rail movement longitudinally thereof in expanding or contracting.

While I have shown a present preferred Patented May 2, 1916.

form of angle bars and of rollers, I do not desire to limit myself thereto, and I reserve the right to make any changes thereover which will not interfere with the principle of the rollers, both as to their relationship with the expanding and contracting rails and the angle bars which, because of their relatively short lengths, do not appreciably expand or contract, and as to their ability to rock under constant load.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A joint arranged at the adjacent ends of railway rails having, each, a tread, a web, and base flanges, comprising an angle bar clamped to each side of said rails, and a plurality of load carrying rollers interposed between said rails and said angle bars and adapted to rock in the expansion and contraction of said rails.

2. A joint arranged at the adjacent ends of railway rails having, each, a tread, a web, and base flanges, comprising an angle bar at one side of and beneath said rails and provided with an inwardly directed flange adjacent the treads of the rails and with an inwardly directed flange adjacent the base flanges of said rails, a supplemental angle bar at the opposite side of said rails provided with similarly arranged flanges, and a plurality of load carrying rollers interposed between said rails and said angle bars, and adapted to rock in the expansion and contraction of said rails.

A joint arranged at the adjacent ends of railway rails having, each, a tread, a web, and base flanges, comprising an angle bar at each side of said rails and provided with upper and lower inwardly directed flanges, and a plurality of load carrying rollers interposed between the under side oi said treads and the respective angle bar flanges, and between the upper sides of said rail base flanges and the respective angle bar flanges, and adapted to rock in the expansion and contraction of said rails,

4. A joint arranged at the adjacent ends of railway rails, having, each, a tread, a web, and base flanges, comprising an angle bar at each side of said rails and provided with upper and lower inwardly directed flanges, a plurality of load carrying rollers interposed between the under side of said treads and the respective lower flanges of said bars, and a plurality of load carrying rollers interposed between the upper sides of said base flanges and the respective upper flanges of said bars, said rollers being adapted to rock in the expansion or contraction of said rails.

5. A joint arranged at the adjacent ends of railway rails having, each, a tread, a web, and base flanges, comprising an angle bar at each side of said rails and provided with upper and lower inwardly directed flanges, a plurality of load carrying rollers interposed between the under sides of said treads and the respective lower flanges of said bars, a plurality of load carrying rollers interposed between the upper sides of said base flanges and the respective upper flanges of said bars, said rollers having, each, a hole therethrough flared in both directions, and a rivet for connecting desired numbers of said rollers into groups, said holes permitting said rollers to rock in the expansion and contraction of said rails.

6. A joint arranged at the adjacent ends of railway rails having, each, a tread, a web. and base flanges, comprising an angle bar clamped to each side of said rails, a plurality of load carrying rollers interposed between said rails and the respective bars and having. each, a hole therethrough flared in both directions, and a rivet passed through the holes of each group of rollers to bind said rollers together, said holes permitting said rollers to rock in the expansion and contraction of said rails, and said rollers being tapered toward each end thereof from the hole therethrough to allow such rocking.

7. A rail joint, comprising an angle bar at each side of the adjacent ends of two rails, and a plurality of load carrying rollers interposed between said rails and bars to support said rails clear of said bars, and adapted to rock in the expansion and contraction of said rails.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT TRAMMELL BAGB Y.

Witnesses GEO. E. EAVES, HOWARD S. SANDBERG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

